Wrocław Główny (Polish for Wrocław main station) is the largest and most important passenger station of the southwestern Polish city of Wrocław. Built in the mid-19th century near the centre of the city, until 1945 it was known as Breslau Hauptbahnhof ("Breslau Main station"), it also is the largest railway station of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, located at the junction of several important routes.

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The main gate is located north of the station, on Piłsudski street (Polish: ulica Piłsudskiego), with two additional entrances located at either end of the main hall, the back gate is located on the far side of the tracks, in the south facing Sucha street. The station has six parallel platforms (platforms I through IV with two tracks, platform V with one track and one short one, platform VI with one track), each has two subway exits, which lead to the main hall. Since all platforms and tracks are above the street level, the tunnels are located at the same level as outside pavements.

The station was built in 1855 - 1857, as the starting point of the Oberschlesische Eisenbahn (Upper Silesian Railway), as well as the line from Breslau to Glogau via Posen, it replaced the earlier complex of the Oberschlesischer Bahnhof (Upper Silesian Railway Station, built 1841-1842). Its designer was the royal Prussian architect Wilhelm Grapow, and in the mid-19th century, it was located near the southern outskirts of the city, as the areas to the south had not yet been urbanized.

Main Hall of the station

Railway station square

The original concourse was located where the passenger hall now is, and was adjacent to the station yard. When construction finished in the mid-19th century, the station only had one platform, but the platform hall was some 200 metres long, and it was regarded as one of the biggest structures of this kind in Europe. By the entrances were luggage lockers, telephone and telegraph facilities; in the station complex was a restaurant and three waiting rooms (1st, 2nd, and 3rd class). There was also a special room and a separate hallway for VIPs.

In the late 19th century, when the government of the German Empire heavily invested in railway construction, the station was extended. Prices of real estate around the station grew, as the city began to develop southwards; in 1899, the construction of five new platforms began, four of them covered by a large roof. The number of passenger platforms within the station grew to 13 and all were elevated, the facade of the main hall was remodelled in 1899–1904.

During World War II Polish resistance from the group Zagra-Lin successfully attacked a Nazi troop transport on the station on 23 April 1943, a commemorative plate honouring their actions was placed after Nazi Germany was defeated and Breslau, together with Silesia, returned to Poland.[1][2][3][4] When Wrocław was given to Poland after World War II, Breslau Central (Breslau Hauptbahnhof) was renamed Wroclaw Central (Wrocław Główny).

On 8 January 1967, the popular Polish actor Zbigniew Cybulski died on platform 3. Cybulski was trying to jump into a train that was already departing, but fell instead under its wheels, on the 30th anniversary of this event, Andrzej Wajda unveiled a plaque on the platform in memory of Cybulski.

In 2010-2012 the station was extensively refurbished for the Euro 2012 championships.

1.
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
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Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is divided. Historically the area had ties to both German and Polish culture, with additional Czech influence in the southern mountainous region. Silesia was once divided into many small duchies reigned by dukes and princes of the Piast dynasty, during this time, cultural and ethnic Germanic influence prospered due to immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the mighty Holy Roman Empire. This also impacted on the architecture as well as traditions. Throughout the upcoming centuries, Lower Silesia experienced several key events such as the Protestant Reformation, Lower Silesia is one of the richest provinces in Poland as it has valuable natural resources such as copper, brown coal and rock materials, which are exploited by the biggest enterprises. Its well developed and varied industries attract both domestic and foreign investors and its capital and largest city is Wrocław, situated on the Odra River. Furthermore, the voivodeship is famous for its castles and palaces and is one of Polands most visited regions by tourists. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships and it covers an area of 19,946 square kilometres, and as of 2013 has a total population of 2914362. Although much of the region is relatively low-lying it also includes Sudeten Foreland, popular ski resorts in Lower Silesian Voivodeship include Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba in the Karkonosze mountains. Other important tourist destinations in the include the chief city, Wrocław, as well as the towns of Jelenia Góra. The town of Boleslawiec is famed for its pottery, an international airport is located in Wrocław–Copernicus Airport. The main railway station is Wrocław Główny, the A4 motorway, A8 motorway and A18 motorway run through the voivodship. Lower Silesian Voivodeship is one of the most visited voivodeships in Poland and it is famous for a large number of castles and palaces, inter alia, Książ Castle, Czocha Castle, Chojnik Castle, Grodziec castle, Gorzanów Castle, Kliczków Castle. There is also a lot in the Jelenia Góra valley, the voivodships most widely visited city is Wrocław with many sights and attractions, inter alia open all year round Aquapark, Wrocław SPA Center and famous Wrocławs dwarfs. The Festival of Good Beer is held every year, on the weekend of June. Śnieżka is one of the first European peaks visited by tourists, it is also the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Lower Silesia is one of the richest regions in Poland. GDP per capita in 2007 accounted for 108. 7% of the average for the country, since 2005, the voivodeship recorded the highest in the country economic growth rate. The voivodeship contains 91 cities and towns and these are listed below in descending order of population, Lower Silesian Voivodeship is divided into 30 counties, four of which are city counties

2.
Poland
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Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe, situated between the Baltic Sea in the north and two mountain ranges in the south. Bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, the total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres, making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world, the 8th most populous country in Europe, Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions, and its capital and largest city is Warsaw. Other metropolises include Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Szczecin, the establishment of a Polish state can be traced back to 966, when Mieszko I, ruler of a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin. This union formed the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe, Poland regained its independence in 1918 at the end of World War I, reconstituting much of its historical territory as the Second Polish Republic. In September 1939, World War II started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, followed thereafter by invasion by the Soviet Union. More than six million Polish citizens died in the war, after the war, Polands borders were shifted westwards under the terms of the Potsdam Conference. With the backing of the Soviet Union, a communist puppet government was formed, and after a referendum in 1946. During the Revolutions of 1989 Polands Communist government was overthrown and Poland adopted a new constitution establishing itself as a democracy, informally called the Third Polish Republic. Since the early 1990s, when the transition to a primarily market-based economy began, Poland has achieved a high ranking on the Human Development Index. Poland is a country, which was categorised by the World Bank as having a high-income economy. Furthermore, it is visited by approximately 16 million tourists every year, Poland is the eighth largest economy in the European Union and was the 6th fastest growing economy on the continent between 2010 and 2015. According to the Global Peace Index for 2014, Poland is ranked 19th in the list of the safest countries in the world to live in. The origin of the name Poland derives from a West Slavic tribe of Polans that inhabited the Warta River basin of the historic Greater Poland region in the 8th century, the origin of the name Polanie itself derives from the western Slavic word pole. In some foreign languages such as Hungarian, Lithuanian, Persian and Turkish the exonym for Poland is Lechites, historians have postulated that throughout Late Antiquity, many distinct ethnic groups populated the regions of what is now Poland. The most famous archaeological find from the prehistory and protohistory of Poland is the Biskupin fortified settlement, dating from the Lusatian culture of the early Iron Age, the Slavic groups who would form Poland migrated to these areas in the second half of the 5th century AD. With the Baptism of Poland the Polish rulers accepted Christianity and the authority of the Roman Church

3.
Polish State Railways
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Polskie Koleje Państwowe SA is the dominant railway operator in Poland. The company was founded when the former Polskie Koleje Państwowe state-owned operator was divided into units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union. The groups organisations are dependent upon PKP SA, but proposals for privatisation have been made, in Poland there are 23,429 kilometres of railway tracks managed by PKP SA and owned by the state. The pricing system currently employed by PKP is highly regressive, international tickets, however, are valid on all services upon which one is required to travel on order to reach the final destination stated on the ticket. PKPs current plans to develop high-speed rail in Poland call for a Y line that will connect Warsaw–Łódź–Kalisz, the geometric layout of the line will be designed to permit speeds of 360 km/h. Construction is planned to begin around 2014 and finish in 2019, in April 2010, the tender for a feasibility study was awarded to a consortium led by Spanish company Ingenieria IDOM. The feasibility study has been granted €80 million in subsidy from the European Union, the total cost of the line including construction and train sets has been estimated at €6.9 billion and is planned to be financed partially by EU subsidies. In September 2010, Alstom was revealed to have been the sole bidder on a tender for high-speed trainsets, the contract for Alstom to then supply and maintain these trains for PKP Intercity was signed on 30 May 2011. As part of the deal, Alstom will construct a new rolling stock maintenance facility in Warsaw, in the centre of the city of Łódź the Y line will travel through an underground tunnel which would link two existing railway stations. One of them, Łódź Fabryczna would be reconstructed as an underground station, since 2009 PKPs subdivision Polskie Linie Kolejowe has been using the new Dworzec Polski brand. This branding and its corresponding PR campaign ROBI SIĘ. was developed in order to shed light on station redevelopments all around the country. Currently there are 77 stations taking part in the ROBI SIĘ. programme, amongst which are included the stations of Warsaw, Katowice, Kraków, Wrocław. Gaining independence on 11 November 1918 allowed Poland to reclaim the former Russian and Austrian sectors from military railways, the Railway Department in the Ministry of Communication was created and the Polish railways were officially named Polskie Koleje Państwowe. In December 1918, the Great Poland Uprising started, the rebels took over the former Prussian sector of railways. One year later, the fights for Lviv were over and the former Austrian railway directorate was taken over by Poland, taking over the railways from Prussians lasted until 1921. After the victory over the Red Army in the Polish-Bolshevik War, at the same time, the tense relations with Lithuania led the railways around Vilnius and Minsk to a partial disintegration and stagnation. The Libau–Romny Railway was not recovered, Polish railways administration finally took over the railways in Upper Silesia in 1922. That same year, a decision was made to divide railways in Poland into nine administrative districts, an economic crisis in 1930s forced the state to cut back its budget for railway investment

4.
Polish language
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Polish is a West Slavic language spoken primarily in Poland and is the native language of the Poles. It belongs to the Lechitic subgroup of the West Slavic languages, Polish is the official language of Poland, but it is also used throughout the world by Polish minorities in other countries. It is one of the languages of the European Union. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet, which has 9 additions to the letters of the basic Latin script, Polish is closely related to Kashubian, Silesian, Upper Sorbian, Lower Sorbian, Czech and Slovak. It is also the second most widely spoken Slavic language, after Russian, in history, Polish is known to be an important language, both diplomatically and academically in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, Polish is spoken by over 38.5 million people as their first language in Poland. It is also spoken as a language in western parts of Belarus and Ukraine, west and central Lithuania, as well as the northern parts of the Czech Republic. There are 55 million Polish language speakers around the world, Polish began to emerge as a distinct language around the 10th century, the process largely triggered by the establishment and development of the Polish state. With Christianity, Poland also adopted the Latin alphabet, which made it possible to write down Polish, the precursor to modern Polish is the Old Polish language. Ultimately, Polish is thought to descend from the unattested Proto-Slavic language, Poland is the most linguistically homogeneous European country, nearly 97% of Polands citizens declare Polish as their first language. Elsewhere, Poles constitute large minorities in Lithuania, Belarus, Polish is the most widely used minority language in Lithuanias Vilnius County and is found elsewhere in southeastern Lithuania. There are significant numbers of Polish speakers among Polish emigrants and their descendants in many other countries, in the United States, Polish Americans number more than 11 million but most of them cannot speak Polish fluently. The largest concentrations of Polish speakers reported in the census were found in three states, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. Enough people in these areas speak Polish that PNC Financial Services offer services available in Polish at all of their machines in addition to English and Spanish. According to the 2011 census there are now over 500,000 people in England, in Canada, there is a significant Polish Canadian population, There are 242,885 speakers of Polish according to the 2006 census, with a particular concentration in Toronto and Montreal. The geographical distribution of the Polish language was affected by the territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II. Poles settled in the Recovered Territories in the west and north and this tendency toward a homogeneity also stems from the vertically integrated nature of the authoritarian Polish Peoples Republic. The inhabitants of different regions of Poland still speak standard Polish somewhat differently, first-language speakers of Polish have no trouble understanding each other, and non-native speakers may have difficulty distinguishing regional variations

5.
Train station
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A train station, railway station, railroad station, or depot is a railway facility where trains regularly stop to load or unload passengers or freight. It generally consists of at least one platform and a station building providing such ancillary services as ticket sales. If a station is on a line, it often has a passing loop to facilitate traffic movements. The smallest stations are most often referred to as stops or, in parts of the world. Stations may be at level, underground, or elevated. Connections may be available to intersecting rail lines or other modes such as buses. In British usage, the station is commonly understood to mean a railway station unless otherwise qualified. In the United States, the most common term in contemporary usage is train station, Railway station and railroad station are less frequent. Outside North America, a depot is place where buses, trains, or other vehicles are housed and maintained and from which they are dispatched for service. The two-storey Mount Clare station in Baltimore, Maryland, which survives as a museum, first saw service as the terminus of the horse-drawn Baltimore. The oldest terminal station in the world was Crown Street railway station in Liverpool, built in 1830, as the first train on the Liverpool-Manchester line left Liverpool, the station is slightly older than the Manchester terminal at Liverpool Road. The station was the first to incorporate a train shed, the station was demolished in 1836 as the Liverpool terminal station moved to Lime Street railway station. Crown Street station was converted to a goods station terminal, the first stations had little in the way of buildings or amenities. The first stations in the modern sense were on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, manchesters Liverpool Road Station, the second oldest terminal station in the world, is preserved as part of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. It resembles a row of Georgian houses, dual-purpose stations can sometimes still be found today, though in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations. In rural and remote communities across Canada and the United States, such stations were known as flag stops or flag stations. Many stations date from the 19th century and reflect the architecture of the time. Countries where railways arrived later may still have such architecture, as later stations often imitated 19th-century styles, various forms of architecture have been used in the construction of stations, from those boasting grand, intricate, Baroque- or Gothic-style edifices, to plainer utilitarian or modernist styles

6.
Kingdom of Prussia
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It was the driving force behind the unification of Germany in 1871 and was the leading state of the German Empire until its dissolution in 1918. Although it took its name from the region called Prussia, it was based in the Margraviate of Brandenburg, the kings of Prussia were from the House of Hohenzollern. Prussia was a power from the time it became a kingdom, through its predecessor, Brandenburg-Prussia. Prussia continued its rise to power under the guidance of Frederick II, more known as Frederick the Great. After the might of Prussia was revealed it was considered as a power among the German states. Throughout the next hundred years Prussia went on to win many battles and it was because of its power that Prussia continuously tried to unify all the German states under its rule. Attempts at creation of a federation remained unsuccessful and the German Confederation collapsed in 1866 when war ensued between its two most powerful states, Prussia and Austria. The North German Confederation which lasted from 1867–1871, created a union between the Prussian-aligned states while Austria and most of Southern Germany remained independent. The North German Confederation was seen as more of an alliance of military strength in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War, the German Empire lasted from 1871–1918 with the successful unification of all the German states under Prussian hegemony. This was due to the defeat of Napoleon III in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, in 1871, Germany unified into a single country, minus Austria and Switzerland, with Prussia the dominant power. Prussia is considered the predecessor of the unified German Reich. The Kingdom left a significant cultural legacy, today notably promoted by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, in 1415 a Hohenzollern Burgrave came from the south to the March of Brandenburg and took control of the area as elector. In 1417 the Hohenzollern was made an elector of the Holy Roman Empire, after the Polish wars, the newly established Baltic towns of the German states including Prussia, suffered many economic setbacks. Many of the Prussian towns could not even afford to attend political meetings outside of Prussia, the towns were poverty stricken, with even the largest town, Danzig, having to borrow money from elsewhere to pay for trade. Poverty in these towns was partly caused by Prussias neighbors, who had established and developed such a monopoly on trading that these new towns simply could not compete and these issues led to feuds, wars, trade competition and invasions. However, the fall of these gave rise to the nobility, separated the east and the west. It was clear in 1440 how different Brandenburg was from the other German territories, not only did it face partition from within but also the threat of its neighbors. It prevented the issue of partition by enacting the Dispositio Achillea which instilled the principle of primogeniture to both the Brandenburg and Franconian territories, the second issue was solved through expansion

7.
Europe
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Europe is a continent that comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, yet the non-oceanic borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are arbitrary. Europe covers about 10,180,000 square kilometres, or 2% of the Earths surface, politically, Europe is divided into about fifty sovereign states of which the Russian Federation is the largest and most populous, spanning 39% of the continent and comprising 15% of its population. Europe had a population of about 740 million as of 2015. Further from the sea, seasonal differences are more noticeable than close to the coast, Europe, in particular ancient Greece, was the birthplace of Western civilization. The fall of the Western Roman Empire, during the period, marked the end of ancient history. Renaissance humanism, exploration, art, and science led to the modern era, from the Age of Discovery onwards, Europe played a predominant role in global affairs. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, European powers controlled at times the Americas, most of Africa, Oceania. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, gave rise to economic, cultural, and social change in Western Europe. During the Cold War, Europe was divided along the Iron Curtain between NATO in the west and the Warsaw Pact in the east, until the revolutions of 1989 and fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1955, the Council of Europe was formed following a speech by Sir Winston Churchill and it includes all states except for Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vatican City. Further European integration by some states led to the formation of the European Union, the EU originated in Western Europe but has been expanding eastward since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The European Anthem is Ode to Joy and states celebrate peace, in classical Greek mythology, Europa is the name of either a Phoenician princess or of a queen of Crete. The name contains the elements εὐρύς, wide, broad and ὤψ eye, broad has been an epithet of Earth herself in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion and the poetry devoted to it. For the second part also the divine attributes of grey-eyed Athena or ox-eyed Hera. The same naming motive according to cartographic convention appears in Greek Ανατολή, Martin Litchfield West stated that phonologically, the match between Europas name and any form of the Semitic word is very poor. Next to these there is also a Proto-Indo-European root *h1regʷos, meaning darkness. Most major world languages use words derived from Eurṓpē or Europa to refer to the continent, in some Turkic languages the originally Persian name Frangistan is used casually in referring to much of Europe, besides official names such as Avrupa or Evropa

8.
German Empire
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The German Empire was the historical German nation state that existed from the unification of Germany in 1871 to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918, when Germany became a federal republic. The German Empire consisted of 26 constituent territories, with most being ruled by royal families and this included four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory. Although Prussia became one of kingdoms in the new realm, it contained most of its population and territory. Its influence also helped define modern German culture, after 1850, the states of Germany had rapidly become industrialized, with particular strengths in coal, iron, chemicals, and railways. In 1871, it had a population of 41 million people, and by 1913, a heavily rural collection of states in 1815, now united Germany became predominantly urban. During its 47 years of existence, the German Empire operated as an industrial, technological, Germany became a great power, boasting a rapidly growing rail network, the worlds strongest army, and a fast-growing industrial base. In less than a decade, its navy became second only to Britains Royal Navy, after the removal of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck by Wilhelm II, the Empire embarked on a bellicose new course that ultimately led to World War I. When the great crisis of 1914 arrived, the German Empire had two allies, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, however, left the once the First World War started in August 1914. In the First World War, German plans to capture Paris quickly in autumn 1914 failed, the Allied naval blockade caused severe shortages of food. Germany was repeatedly forced to send troops to bolster Austria and Turkey on other fronts, however, Germany had great success on the Eastern Front, it occupied large Eastern territories following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. German declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917 was designed to strangle the British, it failed, but the declaration—along with the Zimmermann Telegram—did bring the United States into the war. Meanwhile, German civilians and soldiers had become war-weary and radicalised by the Russian Revolution and this failed, and by October the armies were in retreat, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire had collapsed, Bulgaria had surrendered and the German people had lost faith in their political system. The Empire collapsed in the November 1918 Revolution as the Emperor and all the ruling monarchs abdicated, and a republic took over. The German Confederation had been created by an act of the Congress of Vienna on 8 June 1815 as a result of the Napoleonic Wars, German nationalism rapidly shifted from its liberal and democratic character in 1848, called Pan-Germanism, to Prussian prime minister Otto von Bismarcks pragmatic Realpolitik. He envisioned a conservative, Prussian-dominated Germany, the war resulted in the Confederation being partially replaced by a North German Confederation in 1867, comprising the 22 states north of the Main. The new constitution and the title Emperor came into effect on 1 January 1871, during the Siege of Paris on 18 January 1871, William accepted to be proclaimed Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. The second German Constitution was adopted by the Reichstag on 14 April 1871 and proclaimed by the Emperor on 16 April, the political system remained the same. The empire had a parliament called the Reichstag, which was elected by universal male suffrage, however, the original constituencies drawn in 1871 were never redrawn to reflect the growth of urban areas

9.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan

10.
Zbigniew Cybulski
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Zbigniew Cybulski Polish pronunciation, was a Polish actor, one of the best-known and most popular personalities of the post-World War II history of Poland. Zbigniew Cybulski was born November 3,1927 in a village of Kniaże near Śniatyń. After World War II he joined the Theatre Academy in Kraków and he graduated in 1953 and moved to Gdańsk, where he made his stage debut in Leon Schillers Wybrzeże Theatre. Also, with his friend Bogumił Kobiela, Cybulski founded a student theatre. In the early 1960s, Cybulski moved to Warsaw, where he joined the Kabaret Wagabunda. He also appeared on stage at the Ateneum Theatre, one of the most modern, however, Cybulski is best remembered as a screen actor. He first appeared in a 1954 film Kariera as an extra and his first major role came in 1958, when he played in Kazimierz Kutzs Krzyż Walecznych. The same year he appeared as one of the main characters in Andrzej Wajdas Ashes and Diamonds. From then on Cybulski was seen as one of the most notable actors of the Polish Film School and one of the young and wrathful and his most famous films, apart from Ashes and Diamonds, include Wojciech Has The Saragossa Manuscript. He also acted in television plays, including some based on works by Truman Capote, Anton Chekhov. Cybulski died in an accident at a Wrocław Główny railway station on January 8,1967, as he jumped on the speeding train, he slipped on the steps, fell under the train, and was run over. Before the accident he said goodbye to Marlene Dietrich, a friend of his. Cybulski remains a legend of the Polish cinema and his style of acting was revolutionary at the time, as was his image. He was often referred to as the Polish James Dean, like Dean, he played nonconformist rebels, and like him he died young. The Polish band 2 Plus 1 recorded an album to Cybulski. In 1996, readers of Film magazine awarded him the title of Best Polish Actor of All Time, in 1969 the Zbyszek Cybulski Award for young film actors with strong individuality was introduced. pl

11.
Andrzej Wajda
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Andrzej Witold Wajda was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme dOr, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Golden Bear Awards and he was known especially for his trilogy of war films consisting of A Generation, Kanał and Ashes and Diamonds. Four of his films have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, The Promised Land, The Maids of Wilko, Man of Iron and Katyń. Wajda was born in Suwałki, Poland, the son of Aniela, a teacher, and Jakub Wajda. Wajdas father was murdered by the Soviets in 1940 in what came to be known as the Katyn massacre, in 1942 he joined the Polish resistance and served in the Home Army. After the war, he studied to be a painter at Krakóws Academy of Fine Arts before entering the Łódź Film School, after Wajdas apprenticeship to director Aleksander Ford, Wajda was given the opportunity to direct his own film. A Generation was his first major film, at the same time Wajda began his work as a director in theatre, including such as Michael V. Gazzos A Hatful of Rain, Hamlet, and Two for the Seesaw by William Gibson. Wajda made two more accomplished films, which developed further the anti-war theme of A Generation, Kanał and Ashes. While capable of turning out mainstream commercial fare, Wajda was more interested in works of allegory and symbolism, then Wajda directed Samson, the story of Jacob, a Jewish boy, who wants to survive during the Nazi occupation of Poland. The Birch Wood was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival where Wajda won the Golden Prize for Direction, the directors involvement in this movement would prompt the Polish government to force Wajdas production company out of business. For the film, Wajda won the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival, in 1983, he directed Danton, starring Gérard Depardieu in the title role, a film set in 1794 dealing with the Post-Revolutionary Terror. Made against the backdrop of the law in Poland, Wajda showed how easily revolution can change into terror. For this film Wajda was honoured with the Louis Delluc Prize, in the 1980s he also made A Love in Germany featuring Hanna Schygulla, The Chronicle of Amorous Incidents an adaptation of Tadeusz Konwickis novel and The Possessed based on Dostoyevskys novel. In theatre he prepared an interpretation of Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment and other unique spectacles such as Antygone, in 1989, he was the President of the Jury at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1990, Andrzej Wajda was honoured by the European Film Awards for his achievement, only the third director to be so honoured, after Federico Fellini. In the early 1990s, he was elected a senator and also appointed director of Warsaws Teatr Powszechny. In 1994 Wajda presented his own version of Dostoyevskys novel The Idiot in the movie Nastasja, starring Japanese actor Tamasoburo Bando in the double role of Prince Mishkin. The film was photographed by Pawel Edelman, who became one of Wajdas great co-workers

12.
UEFA Euro 2012
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The 2012 UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for mens national football teams organised by UEFA. Poland and Ukraines bid was chosen by UEFAs Executive Committee on 18 April 2007, the two host teams qualified automatically while the remaining 14 finalists were decided through a qualifying competition, featuring 51 teams, from August 2010 to November 2011. This was the last European Championship to employ the 16-team finals format in use since 1996, from Euro 2016 onward, Euro 2012 was played at eight venues, four in each host country. Five new stadiums were built for the tournament, and the hosts invested heavily in improving infrastructure such as railways, Euro 2012 set attendance records for the 16-team format, for the highest aggregate attendance and average per game. Spain became the first team to win two consecutive European Championships, and also three major tournaments. Spain had already gained entry to the 2013 Confederations Cup by winning the 2010 World Cup, as at Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, both 2012 host nations were eliminated in the group stage. The hosting of the event was contested by five bids representing seven countries, Croatia–Hungary, Greece, Italy, Poland–Ukraine. In November 2005, after a consideration of the bid data by UEFA. In May 2006, this was followed by a round of the selection process. The final decision was due to be announced on 8 December 2006 in Nyon, on 18 April 2007, the Poland–Ukraine bid was chosen by a vote of the UEFA Executive Committee, at a meeting in Cardiff. Poland–Ukraine became the successful joint bid for the European Championship, after those of Belgium–Netherlands. Their bid received a majority of votes, and was therefore announced the winner. There were some alterations from the initial bid plan, regarding the venues. The draw for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying competition took place in Warsaw on 7 February 2010, fifty-one teams entered to compete for the fourteen remaining places in the finals, alongside co-hosts Poland and Ukraine. The teams were divided into nine groups, with the using the new UEFA national team coefficient for the first time in order to determine the seedings. As defending champions, Spain was automatically top seeded, the qualifying process began in August 2010 and concluded in November 2011. At the conclusion of the group stage in October 2011. The remaining eight-second placed teams contested two-legged play-offs, and the four qualified for the finals

13.
Letohrad
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Letohrad is a town in the Ústí nad Orlicí District, Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. The town lies beneath Orlice Mountains, on the river Tichá Orlice, villages Červená, Kunčice and Orlice are administrative parts of Letohrad. The first mention in a written document comes from 1308 - during the reign of a king the castle Geiersberg harbored villain noblemen harassing their neighbourhood. In 1513 Kyšperk was first mentioned as a town, wenceslas, handcraftsmen were allowed to establish guilds, and a hospital for poor and old people was founded. The large fire from 1824 burned down 76 houses, in 1874 a railway crossed Kyšperk, starting the growth of industry in the town. The village was called Rotnek until 1950 and it is separated from the rest of the town by a cliff called Hrubý kámen with a cross on its top. The village was first mentioned in a document from 1292. In 1685 a brick building was founded. Castelet Ovčín was built in 1686, from the second half of 19th century until 1922 a phosphorus matches manufacture existed here. The village became a part of Letohrad in 1950, the place was first mentioned in a written document from 1361 under its original name Pratum. Since 1406 it has been called Orlice, the village has an old church building which was burned down during the Hussite Wars and for the last time was rebuilt in 1711. Since the end of 19th century several factories have been built here. The main source of employment after World War II have been industry and production of construction materials. Paneláks were built to provide housing, after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 the historical centre of the town was renovated. The town tries to attract tourists with festivals, sport events. Letohrad has a partner town Hausen am Albis in Switzerland, Letohrad Castle Wenceslass Square with dominating baroque Marian Plaque Column Chapel of St

14.
Legnica
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Legnica is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998 Legnica was the capital of the Legnica Voivodeship and it is currently the seat of the county and since 1992 the city has been the seat of a Diocese. As of 2012, Legnica had a population of 102,708 inhabitants, the city was first referenced in chronicles dating from the year 1004, although previous settlements could be traced back to the 7th century. The name Legnica was mentioned in 1149 under High Duke of Poland Bolesław IV the Curly, the Christian coalition under the command of the Polish Duke Henry II the Pious, supported by nobles, knights, and mercenaries, was decisively defeated by the Mongols. This, however, was a point in the war as the Mongols, having killed Henry II, halted their advance into Europe. During the Renaissance period, Legnica was one of the most important cities of Central Europe, the city began to rapidly develop after the sudden discovery of gold in the Kaczawa River between Legnica and the town of Złotoryja. In 1742 the city was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia after King Frederick the Greats victory over Austria in the War of the Austrian Succession. It remained in Germany until the end of World War II, Legnica is an economic, cultural and academic centre in Lower Silesia, together with Wrocław. The city is renowned for its architecture, spanning from early medieval to modern period. According to the Foreign direct investment ranking from 2016, Legnica is one of the fastest developing cities in the Silesian region. As of 31 December 2012 Legnica has 102,708 inhabitants and is the third largest city in the voivodeship and it also constitutes the southernmost and the largest urban center of a copper deposit with agglomeration of 448,617 inhabitants. Legnica is the largest city of the conurbation and is a member of the Association of Polish Cities, a settlement of the Lusatian culture people existed in the 8th century B. C. After Celtic invasions beyond upper danube basin the area of Legnica was inhabited by their tribes, tacitus and Ptolemy recorded the Lugii in the area, and mentioned their town of Lugidunum, which has been attributed to both Legnica and Głogów. Slavic Lechitic tribes moved into the area in the 8th century and were the first group to settle it permanently, the city was first officially mentioned in chronicles from 1004, although settlement dates to the 7th century. It is mentioned in 1149 when the High Duke of Poland Bolesław IV the Curly funded a chapel at the St. Benedict monastery. Legnica was the most likely place of residence for Bolesław and it became the residence of the High Dukes of Poland in 1163 and was the seat of a principality ruled from 1248–1675. Legnica became famous for the battle took place at Legnickie Pole near the city on 9 April 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Europe. As the capital of the Duchy of Legnica at the beginning of the 14th century, Legnica was one of the most important cities of Central Europe, the city began to expand quickly after the discovery of gold in the Kaczawa River between Legnica and Złotoryja

15.
Dresden Hauptbahnhof
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Dresden Hauptbahnhof is the largest passenger station in the Saxon capital of Dresden. In 1898, it replaced the Böhmischen Bahnhof of the former Saxon-Bohemian State Railway, the combination of a station building on an island between the tracks and a terminal station on two different levels is unique. The building is notable for its halls that are roofed with Teflon-coated glass fibre membranes, the connection of the routes to the north, northwest and east does not take place at the station, but north of Dresden-Neustadt station. The station is located south of the Inner Old Town in the Seevorstadt, right next to the station area is the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden. Federal highway 170 passes under the area to the east of the station building, running north-south. Prager Straße, the inner-city shopping street, begins at Wiener Platz to the north, road traffic on Wiener Platz was diverted in the 1990s to run through a road tunnel with connections to underground parking, and it is now a pedestrianised street. Several major buildings have been constructed in the area in the style and there is an excavation in Wiener Platz, which was dug a few years ago. In 1839, the Leipzig–Dresden Railway Company opened the first long-distance railway in Germany from Leipzig to its Dresden terminus, in the following decades more railways were built, increasing the destinations that could be reached from Dresden. Each private company built its own station as the terminus of its lines, the Silesian Station was opened in 1847 as the terminus of the Görlitz–Dresden railway and the Bohemian station was opened in 1848 on the line towards Bohemia. Seven years later, the Albert station was opened on the line towards Chemnitz, between 1800 and 1900, the population of Dresden grew from 61,794 to 396,146. As a result, traffic grew enormously, the existing railway facilities proved to be inadequate to satisfy the increasing traffic as a result of rising mobility, population increase and industrialisation. In particular, the tracks of the poorly interconnected stations were not designed for through traffic. This would create a new railway station, but there was no consensus on its location for a long time. On 1 August 1848, the Saxon-Bohemian State Railway opened the Bohemian station as the terminus of its line and it was initially only a barn-like half-timbered building spanning four tracks and it also had a makeshift locomotive depot, carriage sheds and workshops. The opening ceremony took place on 6 April 1851, coinciding with the extension of the line to Bodenbach. From 1861 to 1864, the infrastructure was moved to the west. An additional 360 metre-long island platform was built between 1871 and 1872, in order to handle the traffic towards Chemnitz a new main station was built in front of the Bohemian station. This functional framework was based on a competition held in 1892 for the design of the new station

16.
Deutsche Bahn
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Deutsche Bahn AG is a German railway company. Headquartered in Berlin, it is a private company, with the Federal Republic of Germany being its single shareholder. It carries about two billion passengers each year, Deutsche Bahn came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany. It also gained ownership of railway assets in West Berlin held by the Verwaltung des ehemaligen Reichsbahnvermögens. There are three periods of development in this unified German railway, its formation, its early years. At its creation, Deutsche Bahn took over the abbreviation and logo DB from the West German state railway Deutsche Bundesbahn, erik Spiekermann designed the new corporate font DB Type. However, these plans have been put on hold, and the Bahntower leased for at least three more years, the second step of the Bahnreform was carried out in 1999. This new organisational scheme was introduced not least to implement European Community directive 91/440/EEC that demands access to railway systems free of discrimination. In December 2007, DB reorganised again, bringing all passenger services into its DB Bahn arm, logistics under DB Schenker and infrastructure, the DB is owned by the Federal Republic. By the Constitution, the Federal Republic is required to retain a majority of the infrastructure stocks, in 2008, it was agreed to partially private DB, with 25% of the business to be sold to the private sector. However the onset of the Financial crisis of 2007–08 saw this cancelled, in World war II the Deutsche Reichsbahn helped the Nazis to deport the Jews from Greece. As of 2016, the company currently lacks a management director, other members of the board include, Dr. The DB group is divided into five main groups, Arriva, DB Bahn, DB Dienstleistungen, DB Netze. These subsidiaries are companies in their own right, although most of them are 100% owned by DBAG, Deutsche Bahn placed a bid in May 2010 for the UK-based transport company Arriva. Arriva runs bus and rail companies in 12 European countries, the merger was approved by the European Commission in August 2010, subject to DB divesting Arriva services in Germany. The merger became effective on 27 August 2010, services in the UK formerly run as DB Regio are now operated by a new subdivision of the company, Arriva UK Trains. It operates the Arriva Trains Wales, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, Grand Central, on 1 April 2016 Arriva became the operator of the Northern rail franchise. It also holds a 50% shareholding in London Overground Rail Operations and has lodged an application to operate services under the Great North Western Railway brand, in November 2016, Arriva Rail London will commence operating the London Overground concession in its own right

17.
Opole
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Opole is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River. With a population of approximately 127,792, it is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship and, with it long history dating back to the 9th century, Opole is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Poland. The origins of the first settlement are connected with the town being granted Magdeburg Rights in 1217 by Casimir I of Opole, the rapid development of the town was also caused by the establishment of a seat of regency in Opole in 1816. During its existence Opole belonged to Poland, Bohemia, Prussia, prior to World War II it was located in eastern Germany and was one of the largest centres of Polish minority in the entire country. In 1945, according to Yalta and Potsdam Agreements, the region was assigned to Poland, many German Upper Silesians and Poles of German ancestry still live in the Opole region, in the city itself, however, ethnic Germans make up less than 3% of the population. It was also the capital of the region of Upper Silesia. The National Festival of Polish Song has been held annually since 1963 and each year new regular events, fairs, shows. Opole is sometimes referred to as Polish Venice, because of its picturesque Old Town and several canals, the name Opole likely originated from the medieval Slavic term for a group of settlements. Opoles history begins in the 8th century, at this time, according to the archeological excavations, the first Slavic settlement was founded on the Ostrówek - the northern part of the Pasieka Island in the middle of the Oder river. In the early 10th century it developed one of the main gróds of the Slavic Opolanie. At the end of the century Silesia became part of Poland and was ruled by the Piast dynasty, from the 11th-12th centuries it was also a castellany. After the death of Duke Władysław II the Exile, Silesia was divided in 1163 between two Piast lines- the Wrocławska line in Lower Silesia and the Opolsko-Raciborska of Upper Silesia. Opole would become a duchy in 1172 and would share much in common with the Duchy of Racibórz, in 1281 Upper Silesia was divided further between the heirs of the dukes. The Duchy of Opole was temporarily reestablished in 1290, in the early 13th century, Duke Casimir I of Opole decided to move the settlement from the Pasieka Island into the right shore of the Oder river. All of the inhabitants had to be moved in order to place for the castle that was eventually built in the place of the old city. Former inhabitants of Ostrówek together with German merchants that immigrated here from the West, Opole received German town law in 1254, which was expanded with Neumarkt law in 1327. Opole developed during the rule of duke Bolko I of Opole, in this time the castle was finally completed and new buildings, including the city walls and the Holy Cross Church, were constructed. Along with most of Silesia, in 1327 the Duchy of Opole came under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bohemia, in 1521 the Duchy of Racibórz was inherited by the Duchy of Opole, by then also known by its German equivalent - Oppeln

18.
PKP Intercity
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PKP Intercity is a company of PKP Group responsible for long-distance passenger transport. It runs about 350 trains daily, connecting mainly large agglomerations, the company also provides most international trains to and from Poland. The company was founded after splitting Polskie Koleje Państwowe into several companies to meet European Union standards, some night TLK trains provide couchette and sleeper cars. A limited number of shorter-route TLK trains is 2nd-class only

19.
Przewozy Regionalne
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Przewozy Regionalne, trading as POLREGIO, formerly PKP Przewozy Regionalne, is a train operator in Poland, responsible for local and interregional passenger transportation. Each day it runs approximately 3,000 regional trains, during 2002 it carried 215 million passengers. The company was founded after dividing the Polskie Koleje Państwowe national rail operator into several companies to meet European Union requirements, for domestic routes IR and RE trains share the same fare for the 2nd class. With the exception of the two above-mentioned RegioEkspres trains, there is no reservation in any of the Przewozy Regionalne trains. A. and rebranded to Tanie Linie Kolejowe. Until December 22,2008 Przewozy Regionalne was a wholly owned subsidiary of the PKP Group, thus, the company is no longer part of the PKP Group and on interregional routes its InterRegio trains compete with PKP Intercity TLK trains. On December 8,2009 it finally changed its name from PKP Przewozy Regionalne to Przewozy Regionalne, and in January 2017, transportation in Poland List of railway companies Polish locomotives designation BiletyRegionalne. pl - PRs online ticket store

20.
Wawel (train)
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The Wawel was an international named express train. Introduced in 1995 as an InterCity service, it was upgraded to EuroCity status by operating PKP Intercity, the service was withdrawn at the end of 2014. The train linked Kraków and Wrocław in Poland with Berlin and Hamburg in Germany and it was named after the Wawel, the former residence of the Polish kings in Kraków. Initially, the Wawel ran between Kraków and Berlin, Germany, between Frankfurt and Berlin, the Wawel ran on the Lower Silesian-Marcher Railway line. In 2001, weekday services were extended from Berlin to Hamburg, trains then ran via Cottbus, passing the German-Polish border at Forst, and via Żary, Żagań, and Legnica to Wrocław. From 2010, trains ran from Żary via Węgliniec railway station, in December 2012, the eastern section of the route was cut back from Kraków to Wrocław, and in May 2013, the terminus of the western weekday extension was temporarily moved east, to Lüneburg. The Wawel has never been able to achieve the journey times of those fast diesel multiple unit operated by the Deutsche Reichsbahn that ran on the line in the 1930s. Therefore, the number of significantly decreased upon the construction of the parallel A18 and A18 autostradas in Poland. Servives finally discontinued in December 2014, History of rail transport in Germany History of rail transport in Poland List of EuroCity services List of named passenger trains of Europe Media related to Wawel at Wikimedia Commons

21.
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
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Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. It came into operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. Lehrter Bahnhof opened in 1871 as the terminus of the railway linking Berlin with Lehrte, near Hanover, in 1882, with the completion of the Stadtbahn, just north of the station, a smaller interchange station called Lehrter Stadtbahnhof was opened to provide connections with the new line. This station later became part of the Berlin S-Bahn, in 1884, after the closure of nearby Hamburger Bahnhof, Lehrter Bahnhof became the terminus for trains to and from Hamburg. Following heavy damage during World War II, limited services to the station were resumed. In 1957, with the railways to West Berlin under the control of East Germany, Lehrter Bahnhof was demolished, in 1987, it was extensively renovated to commemorate Berlins 750th anniversary. After German reunification it was decided to improve Berlins railway network by constructing a new main line. Lehrter Stadtbahnhof was considered to be the location for a new central station. Between 1868 and 1871, a 239 kilometre railway was built between Hannover and Berlin via Lehrte by the Magdeburg Halberstädter railway company, Lehrter Bahnhof was constructed as the Berlin terminus. It was adjacent to Hamburger Bahnhof, just outside what was then Berlins boundary at the Humbolthafen port on the river Spree and its architects were Alfred Lent, Bertold Scholz, and Gottlieb Henri Lapierre. In contrast to earlier railway stations, built with brick façades and its originally planned stone façade was replaced with glazed tiles to save money. With its magnificent architecture, the station was known as a palace among stations, the train shed was 188 metres long and 38 metres wide. Its roof was a barrel vault with steel supports. As was common for the period, the station was divided into a side on the west. Originally there were five tracks, four of which ended at the side and the central platform, at the turn of the century this track was removed to accommodate the widening of the central platform. Although the front of the building was ornate and had an entrance, most passengers entered and left via the east side. In 1882 the metropolitan railway, predecessor of the S-Bahn, began service along two of the Stadtbahn tracks, long-distance traffic commenced in 1884 along the other two, with the expansion of Lehrter Bahnhof, it was able to take over the functions of Hamburger Bahnhof. A300 m connector line was built, on 14 October 1884, traffic towards Hamburg, northeast Germany, and Scandinavia was diverted to Lehrter Bahnhof, and Hamburger Bahnhof closed

22.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation

A train station, railway station, railroad station, or depot (see below) is a railway facility or area where trains …

Opened in 2006, Berlin Hauptbahnhof is a large station at the crossing point of two major railways and features modern, abstract architecture. Berlin had a ring of terminus stations, similar to London and Paris, however they were gradually replaced with through stations from 1882 to 1952.

Broad Green station, Liverpool, shown in 1962, opened in 1830, is the oldest station site in the world still in use as a passenger station.

Opened in 1830 and reached through a tunnel, Liverpool's Crown Street railway station was the first ever railway terminus. The station was demolished after only six years, being replaced by Lime Street Station in the city centre. The tunnel still exists.